Car-coupling.



No. 639,39|. rammed nec.`|9, |899. c. n. MORGAN. GAR couPLmG,

(Application led Aug. 24, 1899.)

2 Shanks-Sheet l.

(No Model.)

J T `F====F f, ".munlmif Hmmm@ .5 i u 4 7 ./76 'I Il W *M f8 r [UVV u ff mm|unl-mlMmmm"III www,

No. 639,39n. Patented nec. I9, |899.Y

c. u. MORGAN.

" CAR COUPLING.

2 Sheets Sheet 2 IINHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII sin...

, by such improvement to-increase the strength the draw-head to illustrate the transverse coniTED STATES PATENT EEICE.

CHARLES D. HoRcAN, or OMAHA, NEBRASKA;

CAR-CO UPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part ef Lettere Patent No. 639,391, aerea December 19, 189e. Application filed August 24, 1899. Serial No. 728,335. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES D. HORGAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Omaha, in the county of Douglas and State of Nebraska, have invented a new and useful Car-Coupling, of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to car-couplings; and the object of the same is to improve devices of this character, and more especially the construction shown and described in Patent No. 598,373, granted to me February l, 1898, and

of the draw-head, as well as a pivoted knuckle therein, by avoiding the use of pivotal devices extending entirely through the opposite sides of the draw-head and to bring the bearings for the dog into that part of the draw-head havinga preponderance of metal, and thereby overcome any tendency toward fracture of either of the main working parts and injury to the bearings of the knuckle. The present construction is also intended to facilitate the insertion and withdrawal of the dog from the draw-head and so dispose the knuckle when in operative position as to contemplate an easy elevation of the same in releasing the link and also an effective connection when the link is j opening, receives a freely-movable or pivoted knuckle 3, which is adapted to engage a link 4 and when in an uncoupling position is swung upwardly out of engagement with theV link. One of the most important features of this improvement resides in the mode of pivotally mounting the knuckle in the draw-head, so that all punctures or perforations for receiving pivot-pins and extending transversely through the draw-head from side to side will be entirely obv'iated and the strength of the drawh head thereby materially increased and reinforced against fracture. lt is also desired to bring the fulcrums of the knuckle 3 forward into the region of greatest metal thickness and to avoid as much as possible the removal of metal at such point, so as to strengthen the knuckle in its action and brace it against strain and vibration. Therefore the knuckle is provided near its front end and on the upper edge with a laterallyprojecting bearingbar 5, preferably of integral construction with the knuckle and dressed to cylindrical form. The bearing-bar equally projects beyond opposite sides of the knuckle to form trunnions, which are located in seats hereinafter referred to when the knuckle is in Working position,

and in this arrangement the upper part of the in engagement therewith.

The-invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts, which will be more fully hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is aperspective view of a car-coupling constructed in accordance with` this invention and shown applied to a car. Fig. 2 is a cenbar is brought to bear -against the adjacent portion of the draw-head above the said seats. When the knuckle is in working position in the draw-head, the body portion thereof inclines upwardly and rearwardly from the front edge, the latter being at an inclination to enable the link in entering the draw-head to raise the knuckle and couple automatically.

tral longitudinal sectional view of the same, showing the' knuckle in locking position. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view to one side of the center of the draw-head. Fig. 4. is a transverse vertical section taken through the draw-head in rear of the pivotal seats of tour of the bearing-blocks. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the knuckle. Fig. 6 is a similar View of one of the bearing-blocks. Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

The numeral l designates a draw-head provided with a longitudinal lslot 2in its top, and

The rear edge of the kn uckle is straight and is also grooved to provide a recess A6 for the reception of a link bar or rod 7, which is pivoted at its lower end within the recess (i bya transverse pin 8 or other suitable fastening device. The upper end of the link bar or rod 7 projects above the catch and is designed to stand as close as possible over the upper rear edge portion of the knuckle, 'and' thereto is attached a yielding connection 9, which is also secured to atransverse rock-shaft l0 or other suitable or preferred operating mechanism.

vWhen the rock-shaft is used as shown, it is journaled on the car at a suitable elevation and provided with a handle located adjacent this slot, which communicates with the linkone side of the car to permit the operation IOO of uncoupling to be performed from that point. To make the knuckle 3 effective in a coupling operation, it has at the bottom, near the front edge, a projecting nose 1l, which falls into a recess 12, extending longitudinally for a distance through the base of the link-opening and having the function to throw the link up into a recess 13 in rear of the said nose and cause a pull to be exerted upwardly on the bearing of the knuckle aswell as in a forward direction toward the outer end of the drawhead. y

On opposite sides of the longitudinal slot 2 downwardly, and forwardly extending segmentally-curved seat slots or recesses 14.are formed that open into the said slot 2 and also outwardly through the top of the draw-head. These slots `le'ad'to the seats 15 for the trunnions formed by the bearing-bar 5, and atthe rear the bottom walls of the same have `a slight inclination in an outward and downward direction to prov-ide a partial dovetail construction. Within these slots 14 segmental bearing-blocks 16 are removably mounted and'of less length than the slots. The front ends of the bearing-blocks .are formed with transversely-extending semicircular grooves 17to receive the trunnions of the bearing-bar and hold the same constantly in a .predetermined position within the draw-head. The rear'ends 1S of the said bearing-blocks are beveledor cut off at an angle to adapt them to have a flush `fitting with the top .of the draw-head when they are in the` slots 14 the full intended extent. The under edges of the said 'bearing-blocks, adjacent the ends 18, have a partial dovetailed construction, as. at 19, to correspond with' the lower walls of the slots 14 at the rear, and by means of this dovetailed construction the bearing-blocks are prevented from workin g .inwardly toward the slot 2;.or the knuckleoperati n g therein. As a further means of securing the bearing-blocks 16'fully Within the slots 14 andagainst endwise movement collar-bolts 2O are employed and extend through the blocks in partland also project into the metal of the draw-head thereunder. These collar-bolts are also made to assume yflush fitting with the upper part of the draw-head, as shown in the drawings, and the bearingblocks are prevented from having movement through the medium vof the same. The knuckle is thus held inv close operative relation within the draw-headand at any time desired and when fou-nd necessary the collarbolts may be withdrawn to release the bear.- ing-blocks and permit the knuckle to be removed frorn the draw-head.

It will be observed that when the link 4 is coupled by the knuckle the latter cannot accidentally work loose or become disengaged from the link, owing to the fact that the strain or pull is exerted in a plane in rear ofthe working position or seats of thetru-nnions provided by theV bearing-bar5, and a' release of the link can only be obtainedby elevatingthe rear end of the knuckle through the mechanism set forth. The lateral exten sion of the bearing-bar across the front portion of the upper edge of the knuckle and so that it will Contact with a part of the drawhead containing the greatest metal area is also effective in resisting the strain of the link. When the knuckle is in its lowered position, the link bar or rod 7 tits closely within the recess 6 at the rear end of the knuckle,

terior surface projection without interfering with each other or without institutinga bind or incurring a liability to jam. Furthermore, the fulcrums of the knuckle are fully protected and housed and the operation of assemblage or disconnecting the several parts can be readily carried on, and, ifV necessary, substitution of parts may be also easilyrnade.

The precise construction of the knuckle in the present Ainstance is also of materiala'dvantage. The proportions .of y,certain parts, as well as the radial distance from `thecenter of the bearing-bar to different pointson the nose, is effective in preventing the linkfrom throwing the knuckle upwardly while `said link is in coupled connection with said knuckle. As indicated in Fig. 2, theradius a d (designated by the dotted line ydrawn from the center of thebearing-bar to the lower front corner ofthe nose) is greaterthan the radius a l) from the same center to I the normal point of bearing of. the inner end .ofthe link against the rearlcurved wall ofthe nose. Furthermore, the point of bearing ofthe `link on the nose is inward from or beyond the vertical plane of the bearing-bar, and the Adraft on the link in a horizontal plane exertsalso a forward and u pwardly-inclin ed .pu'llltoward the bearingfbar approxim atelyfin` the direc tion of the radiusv ct b. Another iin-portant feature.of.construction.is making the bearingbarintegral with the knuckle-andlocatingfit on the upper edge at'the` front. 'll-hesfe sevi eral structural niceties have been found in practice to be necessary in obtaininga'safe attachment of the link and toobstruct any tendency toward a self-.disconnectionof the lat-ter, which might occur underotherfcondi tions andidue to certain blowsl delivered .by the link against theknucklecaused bylforceful coming togetherof theopposite carlends.

Changes in the form, proportion, and -minor details of v construction may be vresortedto without 'departing from fthe-spiritorsacrificingany ofthe yadvantages of the invention.

Havingthus 4describedthe invention, what is claimed as new is.-

1. In a car-coupling, the cornbinationiof a draw-head provided at its top between its ends .with a longitudinal slot and havinga solid .transverse bearing portion at `thefront of the slot, said draw-head being. provided at opposite-sides ofthe slot with recessesh-av-ing top and bottom walls, and the knuckleglpro-A vided with a front bearing portion to' t against .the solid front'portion of thefdrawand all parts are thus arranged to avoid ex- I head and having trunnions arrangedyin the' bearing-recesses, said knuckle being adapted to bear against the bottom of the draw-head and being recessed or cut away at the back at a point in rear of the trunnions to receive the link, whereby the strain on the latter will operate to hold the bearing portion of the knuckle against the front portion of the drawhead, to relieve the trunnions of strain, and also to prevent the latter from moving outward in the recesses, substantially as described. g

2. In a car-coupling, the combination of a draw-head provided at its top between its ends with a longitudinal slot and having a solid bearing portion at the front of the slot, said draw-head being provided at opposite sides of the slot with bearing-recesses having top and bottom walls, independent blocks secured within the bearing recesses, and a knuckle provided with a front bearing portion to fit against the solid front portion of the draw-head, and having trunnions arranged in the bearing-recesses at the inner ends of the blocks, said knuckle being adapted to bear against the bottom of the dra w-head at a point in rear of the trunnions and recessed or cut away at the back to receive a link, whereby the strain on the latter will operate to hold l the bearing portion of the knuckle against the solid portion ol' the draw-head, to relieve the trunnions of strain and to prevent the same from exerting any strain on the blocks, substantially as described.

3. In a car-coupling, the combination of a draw-head provided with a longitudinal slot or opening and segmental slots on opposite sides of the latter and communicating therewith, a part of the lower walls of the segmental slots at the rear having a dovetailed formation, a knuckle having trunnions at the front upper portion thereof and movablein the'said segmental slots, bearingb1ocks insertible` in and withdrawable from the said segmental slots, and having a part of their lower edgesl at the rear of dovetailed con struction to conform to the lower Walls of the segmental slots at adjacent points, and means for fastening the said blocks.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses,

CHARLES D. HORGAN. Witnesses:

CHAs. E. RIORDAN, THEODORE DALTON. 

